Lasers didn’t start the fire: Wild conspiracy theories follow Victoria’s bushfires

The rapid spread of conspiracy theories about Victoria’s recent bushfires – such as a government-orchestrated internet blackout, and lasers causing the blazes – has prompted warnings that misinformation will become more frequent as natural disasters increase because of climate change.

Premier Jacinta Allan was accused by some locals in Alexandra, which narrowly avoided disaster from the nearby Longwood fire, of deliberately switching off the internet in the area.

Before the premier’s visit on January 13, government officials walking through the town, in central Victoria, were approached by locals who made the claim that the internet was being shut off intentionally. Some of these people were among the dozens who tried to confront Allan before and after a press conference and heckled her from outside Alexandra District Health.

Many locals asked valid logistical questions, such as when they would be able to access roads and provide feed to their livestock. They also questioned whether the government was adequately funding the Country Fire Authority.

Some locals also demanded to know why communications weren’t working in the region.

Not long after, a screenshot of a WhatsApp message was circulated, alleging Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas had told locals the government had shut down internet and phone services to stop the spread of misinformation. Others speculated the internet was switched off to coincide with Allan’s visit and prevent locals from organising against her.

There is no evidence to suggest this is true. Premiers and other government officials do not have the power to switch off internet services. Communications were patchy as phone and internet towers were damaged in the fires, and services including electricity went down, prompting calls to better secure this infrastructure in emergencies.

But the rumour was just one of several conspiracy theories that emerged after 400,000 hectares were burnt. Some online posts, appearing on Facebook profiles and in local community groups, were shared hundreds of times across communities with small populations.

Other conspiracies circulated online include that the bushfires were deliberately lit to encourage wind farms. In the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, a similar rumour alleged the fires were lit to enable high-speed rail.

Another theory was that the fires were started by “energy weapons” such as lasers. This has become a regular accusation by conspiracy theorists for bushfires around the world.

Posts circulating online alleged that houses were burnt but vegetation was not – a claim that AAP FactCheck demonstrated to be false.

Experts are warning that the spread of these types of conspiracies will only become more common as extreme weather events increase.

Dr Mathew Marques, a senior lecturer in social psychology at La Trobe University, said it was typical for conspiracy theories to emerge during times of crisis and collective trauma.

“It clearly will become more common with climate change effects increasing,” he said.

Marques said research suggested people turned to conspiracies for explanations at times of catastrophic events.

“The idea is that they’re meant to provide this way for people to buffer this anxiety or reduce the frustration of these needs that they’ve got. Like the need for certainty, need for belonging, need for knowing,” he said. “But the reality is they actually make people feel worse.

“These kinds of stories about bogeymen, or state premiers pulling the strings, don’t actually make people feel any better, even though they allow people to attribute the blame to a person, or sometimes a faceless group.”

‘Deliberate disinformation campaigns by malign actors during natural disasters are also increasing and are causing multifaceted harms.’

Marques said people who accepted or promoted these theories often already had a distrust of government or institutions. But there was also a political element at play, he said, with people finding it easier to lay blame on groups with different political allegiances or from different social classes.

Marques said there was little evidence to suggest conspiracy theories had become more common, but social media made them more visible.

“It might just be we’re more readily able to view people’s sincere or insincere beliefs on social media, so people will talk about them ...” he said.

“It’s really hard to gauge whether or not somebody sharing something online sincerely believes it, or whether they’re doing it for another reason.”

A 2025 report from the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, titled Crisis Points, found natural disasters could have political and societal consequences that could be exploited by extremists.

“In so doing, they have tacitly, or sometimes directly, incited and conducted violence against government, response agencies and identified out-groups,” the report says. “It has become increasingly difficult to ensure the take-up of accurate messaging from government or authoritative sources.

“Deliberate disinformation campaigns by malign actors during natural disasters are also increasing and are causing multifaceted harms.”

Associate Professor Josh Roose, an extremism expert at Deakin University, said conspiracies would become more common, but the side effects of this trend were not well understood.

“Governments need a long-term strategy on how they’re going to cope with the conspiracy theories that inevitably arise in these contexts,” he said. “It comes back to building trust and building trust with communities.”

Roose said evidence from the developing world showed a rise in extremist groups after natural disasters.

“There’s a rapid decline in trust in government and there’s a vacuum of information, and conspiracies tend to proliferate in that space,” he said.

Among those who were traumatised, there were also bad faith actors.

“There are people out there who are profiting from this, both financially but also politically, in seeking to build movements, he said.

“You’ve only got to get onto Telegram. Look at the “freedom” movement, which still exists to this day, and you’ll see how quickly they proliferate in sovereign citizen circles.”

Authorities needed to be transparent and communicate effectively but shouldn’t attempt the impossible task of controlling the online space, Roose said.

“What they can do is deal, in particular, with the impacted communities, be physically present on the ground, communicating with them on a daily basis through whatever mechanism necessary.”

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